Thomas h



T. H. PHILLIPS, JR. CLAM DREUGING MACHINE.

APPLICATION man Auml, |920.

1,415,1 18. Patented May'9, 1922.

@3% watten/mai# without damage to the clams. n y of the invention willbe apparent as the def raar risica;

' THOMAS H, PEILLIES, JR., 0F FORT MYERS, FLORIDA.

.CLAM-DREDGING MACHINE.

meissie.

To all 'whom/i, may concern;

Be it known' that l, 'lli-rentas'v H. Firin- Lrrs, Jr., a citizen ot theUnited States of America, residing at Fort iviyers, in the State otFlorida, have invented certain new and use'lul improvements inClam-Dredging Machines, ot which the follmving is a specification.

r'his invention relates to the `clam and mussel industry. `Along theccasI4 and bays oit' the United States are buried iillions of theseedible bivalves, but the gatheringvof the same by the primitive methodsnow employedhas proved so expensive and inadequate thatA large numbersotcanning tactories have had to close down for lach of clams.

The main object of this invention is to devise a. simple apparatuswhereby large quantities ot clams or mussels or the like may berecovered directly from the sea bottom @ther objects scription proceeds.

Referring to the drawings wherein i have shown what l now consider betheprei'erred term oi' my invention Fig. l. is a side elevation of theinvention as applied to a vessel.

Fig. 2 is a plan view oi the same,

Fig. 3 isan enlarged detail the blower or air pipe. l

Fig. 4 isv a vertical section of the main or suction pipe, showing theair pipe secured thereto andtheir relative positions in operation. A

Figv is sectional' view of one 'form of blower for the air.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view ot a modified form oi' the invention. f p l lam aware that the principle o1 physics that a rising column oiwater maybe pro-k duced in a vertical pipe partially submer ged by the dischargeoi air below or within the pipe, has been employed in certain forms otmarine dredges for placing spiles,'etc but while my invention employsthis broad principle, the method of operation and results are verydifferent.

Preferably myinvention is'employed in connection with a moving steamer land consists of a more or less vertical pipe 2 preterably ot suiiicientlength toreach 'from the deck 3 oi"- the vessel to the bottom of theshallow water where clams abound and 'fas- V.53pecfifzation of'LettersPatent. l pafggntd Maygjvgz,

Application inea august 11, 1920. sei-iai No. 402,861.

`tened to the vessel by any suitable'means 8.

The tube or rpipe be made 'collapsible or telescopic as indicated at'tsothat' the lower end 5 oi the tube may followthe contour oi the bottomwithout disturbing the upper or discharge end 6. The lower end 5preferably is equipped with a flaring hood or mouth 7 open on its undersurface and adapted to rest upon and slide along the bottom. The mouthis vpreferably broader thany it is long, being Vshoi'fvn as rectangularin shape. For supplying air within the tube to cause rising columntherein, a second tube 9 secured tothe larffer pipe 2 is employed. Saidtube may discharge air linside of thepipe as shown in Fig. 6, but Iprefer toconduct the tube down below the main pipe somewhat as showninFigs. l and fl, with the lower or discharge end bent under the mouth'l'. Gpenings 11 are shown in theend of the tube 9A tor the discharge otair. Preferably the end is bent slightly downward-ly so as to assist thetube in plowbottom, Vthereby mechanically bulging up the bottom as wellas by the action of the compressed air and rising `water column. Incertain waters Vwhere clams are very abundant, it is` found that thebottom is composed of a layer 20 of very hard andtightly packed sandseveral inches thick, under which is aV layer 21 of soft mud and oozefull ot 'clams,' mussels, etc. Ordinary methods of digging clams fail topenetrate this hard upper surfaceI By my method, on the other hand, thebottom is continuously disrupted by the forces described above and A`theclams, mud, sand, etc., carried up pipe 2. kThe supply oil compressedair may be furnished by a pressure blower 12, such as shown in Fig. 5,having revolving paddles 13 and lll geared together and driven by anysuitable power source 15. vThe top of pipe 2 may discharge over acontinuous conveyor 16 having cross slats 17 or other strainer so thatthe clams will be separated from the ywater and sand. alongsidetheconveyor and separate by' hand the clams trom the stones, conk shells,etc. lt will be understood that the endless belt conveyor continuouslytravels in the direction or the arrow 18 and extends out over the wateron the tar side so that the seaweed, stones, etc., may, it desired, beauto- 'lhe clam pickers stand matcally dumped overboard, Any suitablemeans (not shown) maybe used to revolve the belt. Y

lt should be DQQ that according to my method the clams are run throughno pump of any kind which would tend to break them up, but are conveyeddirectly'onto the deck.

E iirthenmone, theuse of my dredgedoes not destroy the yclam bedsthemselves as do the bucket and other mechanical* dredges'that havevbeen tried tor-thispurpose, since no mechanical digger or otherA'revoluble part disturbs the bed'or breaksup the clams,`

In accordance with the provisions et' the patentl statutes, l haveherein described the principle 'of operation ot.' myV invention,together with the apparatus, which l now Consider to` represent the bestlembodiment thereof, but l, desireto have it understood that theapparatus shown yis onlylillustrative Y and that'the invention can becarried out by other means. Jalso, 'while it isdesigned to usethevarious featuresand elements in the combination and relationsdescribed, some ofthese may be altered and others omitted withoutlinterfering `with themore general results. outlined, and the inventionextends to such use. Y

Having described my invention, what l claiml andvdesire to secure byLetters Patent is:

clamor mussel dredging,apparatusV comprising f p a pipe adapted toextend obliqu'ely,downwardly into the `water and having mouthat an angleto said pipe to rest substantially i'iatly Yonthe bottom, a second pipefadj acent the vfirst Vpipev and arrangedrto discharge air or other gasso as to rise'through the first pipe causing'eruption of` thejbottoniunder said mouth and a rising current of air, water, and bottom, andmeans for orcingair through said second pipe.

2. A lclam or mussel dredging ,apparatusV for vessels, comprising apipefad'apted to be secured' to' the vessel to extend obliquely down tovthe bottom,` saidk pipe having a Vilar ing mouth at an angle to saidpipe to slide over-and rest upon the bottom as the vessel movesaroundthe periphery voit said mouth,

'a second pipe adjacent the viirst pipe and arranged tofdischarge air or4other gas'so as to rise through the iirst pipe causing eruption of lthebottom under said mouth and a rising current of air, water, and bottom,and means for forcing air through said second pipe.

3. A clam or mussel dredging apparatus ior vessels, comprising a pipeadapted to be adapted to slide over the bottom as the vessel moves, asecond pipe adjacent the first pipe and having its discharge end undersaid mouth and adapted to penetrate below the' surface,means for forcingair through said second pipe, and vmeans adjacent Vthe top of said firstpipe for separating the clams'from water.

ln an apparatus fordredging clams from av moving vessel, the combinationwith a pipe adapted to burrow slightly beneath the surface of the bottomas the vessel moves and having a discharge opening, means fordischarging a uid through said opening, a secondl pipe of largerdiameter mounted with its lower end Vover saidopening inv saidV Y.

other pipe, said. lower end being ot much greater area'than the diameterci' said-secfond pipe and adapted to rest flat on the bot.

tom, and means tor receiving the discharge from said larger pipe.,

'6. A clam dredging apparatus comprising a pipe adapted to extend vfroma vessel down 'adjacentthe bottom, pneumatic means'tor producing anupward How of water therethrough, anda conveyor adjacent `,the top etthepipe adapted to separate the solid substances .t'rom the'w'ater,whereby the clams may be' picked out from the other substances. j 7. Aclam',V dredging apparatus','comprising a pipe adapted to extend'i'froma vessel down adjacent .the bottom, pneumatic means for producing anupward iiowV of water 'there through, and a conveyor adjacent thefftopot' the pipe 'adaptedltolseparate theY solid substances trom *the water,whereby the stances, said; conveyorV being arranged to dump saidfothersubstances overboard. i ln testimony whereot 1l haveatixed my signature.Y i

Tiioiiiisn. riiiiijnirs, JR.

c clams may be picked-out Afrom thegother subl

